Tagline: George Simmons was prepared to die, but then a funny thing happened...

I'd been looking forward to seeing this film for ages, but for some reason it always went out of my head when I was shopping for something to kill an evening.I picked it up in CEX a few weeks ago for a couple of quid and I have to say, I'm glad I did.

Usually you know what you're getting with Adam Sandler; a goofball comedy sure to raise a couple of laughs but likely with a poor storyline, probably average acting and almost always eventually stomped all over by the lead man pulling silly faces and making daft noises.Not that his films are bad by any means, but you generally need to switch off upstairs, laugh it up and try not to be too critical of the technicalities.

Which is why I was so looking forward to this one!

Adam Sandler plays it (mostly) straight in this film. He's George Simmons, a hugely successful stand up comedian and low budget but high grossing film star (semi-autobiographical perhaps?).He is a multi-millionaire with the world at his feet, but his life is a shallow wreck. No friends to speak of, estranged from his loving family (parents, sister & sisters children) and simply bouncing from one cheesy movie to the next and filling the loneliness in his life with cheap one night stands.He meets Ira Wright (we later discover that his real surname is Weiner, which leads to some merciless ribbing from Sandler) backstage at a stand-up comedy gig, rates his act quite highly and subsequently hires him to become his joke writer, getting him to help plan his sets.The partnership works well and the two become very close, although Simmons refuses to let Ira get close in an emotional sense and seems to keep him around to put him down and boost his own self esteem.

Quite early in the movie George confides in Ira that he has terminal Leukemia and that he just wants someone he's distanced from to help him through the last days of the illness and sort out his estate after his death. Ira basically takes the burden from a rather selfish George and we see it physically (breaking down in tears) and psychologically affect him for the first hour of the movie.

However, George has been prescribed an experimental treatment with very low success rates. Over the first half of the movie he becomes very weak as the illness almost claims him, and his attitude to life alters a little. He consents to visits from friends, family and his ex fiancee and starts to regret the choices he's made in life.

Halfway through the movie George visits the doctor still in a morose frame of mind, basically waiting for the end by now, only to find out that the medication has worked, the leukemia has receded and that he's on the road to full recovery! He and Ira celebrate and so begins the road to redemption.George drags Ira on a trip to see his ex fiancee (who's husband has been cheating on her) in an effort to reconcile and carry on where they left off many years before. A love triangle forms between George, Laura (the ex) and her husband Clarke, who is painted badly but turns out to be an ok guy.

It's impossible to discuss the conclusion to the film without giving away the details, but it's a great wrap-up. Poignant in places, funny in others and quite 'feel good' in an odd way with a little surprise that thankfully breaks the usual conventions.

By the end of the movie we've been on an emotional roller-coaster with the 4 main characters, each one slightly changed for the better and making their own way in life.

I'm not Adam Sandlers biggest fan, but I've seen most of his movies and can happily sit through them and see the positives rather than concentrate on the negatives. It's generally simple but fun stuff.This is far removed from his usual roles though. It does borrow a few themes from Click, the wasted chances and regret etc, but otherwise this is a really great role showing a new side to Sandlers acting abilities.

My favourite part is a short section where he does a very dark stand-up bit about death, ending with a piano solo and singing a song called "George Simmons will soon be gone" about how the public asked too much of him, took his whole life over with their demands and how they'll miss him when he's gone. He speaks (sings) candidly about how he hates to see other people succeed and how bitter and twisted he is. The song is an amazing moment in the film, the public don't yet know that he's dying and that the words are real, they laugh along and applaud at the end when he curses at them and tells them not to visit his grave. Even with the glimpse into his rotten psyche we've had, it's hard not to feel for him and I think it's a real emotionally ambivalent scene where we're torn between laughing and crying.

On the topic of music, the soundtrack is one of the best lineups I've seen in a while. Separate songs from Ringo Starr, John Lennon and Paul McCartney set the scene, especially "Great day" by the latter. Sandler himself performs a couple of songs - including George Simmons will soon be gone - and there is a simply beautiful song from Warren Zevon called "Keep me in Your heart" which lays out Simmons inner feelings of death in under a minute. It's a song that has been used in a few TV shows and films, but nowhere as powerfully as here. You-tube it, it's a cracker!

In summary, I was pleasantly surprised at how good this movie was. The trailers looked good, setting the story out and showing some of the funnier moments, but I didn't for a minute expect the emotional side of the film at all.

Funny people is a 15 certificate, likely because of the language more than anything else, but there are some adult themes running through too and a few sexual references.

I would definitely recommend watching this, especially if you can pick it up for the sort of money I paid.e.bay has it under £3 for a watched copy, but I dare say you'll find a new copy in the sales at similar money.

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Really funny movie that shows a different side of Sandler and Rogan; great comedy duo

So maybe this isn't the funniest movie of all time, but it has some high quality acting from all players involved. For example, Adam Sandler shows his most serious acting since doing Reign on Me. I thought Funny People was funny in many respects and offered a glimpse of what Adam Sandler's life might be like for his fans (like me). I thoroughly enjoyed the film. I think that the first scene where they show tapes of Sandler's old prank calls are hysterical. They can make me laugh every time I watch them, and I think they show a humanity to the great Sandler who always seems to be this larger-than-life comedian who has now been making us laugh for over two decades. This is no stupid humor. You're not going to find dumb jokes in this film. This is smart humor, and although you may have to brush up on your pop culture, it is well-written. I think the partnership between Adam Sandler and Seth Rogan really works because you have an older and wiser comedian symbolically handling the torch to the much younger Rogan. The stand-up comedy scenes are also quite funny. If you want to skip the more serious parts of the movie, then don't watch the last thirty minutes.

This movie is for anyone who is a serious fan of Seth Rogan and/or Adam Sandler. I can't give it a perfect rating because of the slow ending, but it does make up for it with a great soundtrack (including an Adam Sandler rendition of John Lennon's "Real Love").

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Comedian George finds out he is dying but how will he deal with it?

FILM ONLY REVIEW

George Simmons is a high profiled comedian who has done well for himself, unfortunately he is ill and has been diagnosed with a blood disorder and has been given less than 1 year to live. He has agreed poundage a new treatment which the doctors are hoping will cure him but are not 100% confident. George has a hard time of coming to terms with it and bums out on stage at a gig that evening.

Whilst at the gig George sees a struggling comedian Ira on stage and takes a liking to him. Ira is struggling to find his feet and define his persona on stage so George takes him under his wing. Ira is hired as Georges writer and assistant and soon they become friends. Ira learns of Georges illness and agrees to keep it to himself. Both Ira and George soon become close and are working hard together with George liking the jokes Ira is writing for him. George is also using his profile to get Ira notice and more gigs and his help and advise seems to be paying off as George s getting roe confident.

With their friendship and careers blossoming can George overcome his life threatening disease and will Ira ever make it to the big time?

The trailers for this film made it look really good and funny and I was very keen on watching as I did like the majority of the cast involved. I was expecting this film to be very funny as the clips I had seen showed some good funny moments but I have to say I was slightly disappointed as it really was lacking in the comedy department. The storyline was good and I found it moving the way the death part was mixed with the humour of the comedy on stage and thought this worked well.

The acting was good from some and my favourite character was that of Ira, played by Seth Rogen. He was a down to Earth guy who was struggling to make it in the comedy business. I found his very easy to get to know and instantly liked him. There seemed to be nothing behind his character and he was very genuine and worked well with the supporting actors and there was a good chemistry between him and the role of George. I found the majority of the comedy came from Ira's role and he even made George funny at times by the way they bounced off each other. The role of George was played by Adam Sandler and I have to say he was slightly disappointing, he did not seem to know where he wanted to take his character. At times he tried to hard to be funny which made him not funny and at other times he tried too hard to be serious and this just did not work. Both me and hubby struggles with trying to understand him and his emotions. I understand it must be hard trying to portray a person who is facing death but he just could not manage this along with the humour of the film. He was funny in parts but only when working with Ira.

We did have some good supporting characters in the film including, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana and Jonah Hill, they were all good and did manage to bring some depth and funny moments to the film but I have to say I was not able to warm to or like the role of Laura which Leslie Mann played, she did not come across as true and genuine and I found she was trying too hard and seemed to never be at ease on screen.

There are some laugh out loud moments once or twice in the film but these come mainly from Ira and his friends and not from the lead role of George. I did have a few chuckles at George but only when he was bouncing of Ira's comments. There was a complete lack of comedy for my liking and I was expecting a lot more from this great cast. There are a few depressing and sad moments in the film but just could not take these seriously as they involved Adam Sandler and he just could not remove the daftness from his role to make these believable and moving the way they should have been .

The film was set in the present time and in America so no effort was needed in the props and costume department. I cannot remember any special effects in the film and I don't think it would have improved the film if any were used. The music was also not at all memorable and I now cannot remember a single track which was used which is slightly disappointing.

The running time of the film is 146 minutes and I did find this was slightly too long, a good 20-30 minutes could have been taken out and nothing would have been lost from the storyline and it may have made it slightly better to watch. The rate is a 15 and I do agree with this as there is quite a lot of swearing in the film. As this is a film only review there are no bonus features to speak about.

The film can be bought on DVD for around the £5 mark now but I personally would not pay to see this, it is currently being shown on Sky movies so if you still want to watch then catch it here for free. I can only give this film 3/5 stars and it gets 3 due to the good supporting actors and the role which Seth Rogen played. There is a lack of comedy and both me and hubby were very disappointed in it.

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Sandler back to his best

Having spent his adult life immersed in the celebrity lifestyle, comedian George Simmons learns he has an untreatable disease and is given only a year to live. He decides that he needs to form a proper friendship and having performed in a stand up with Ira, he decides to hire him as an assistant and along the way create a friendship with his fellow stand up. As George and Ira get to know each other, George also learns things he didn't know about himself and intends to put them right.

Like a number of films there seemed to be a lot of the films funniest moments were in the advert. For a while that put me off watching it until it's release on DVD as I was worried it wouldn't be as funny as I was expecting it to be. Thankfully my worries were allayed as the film more than lived up to my expectations. It had numerous funny moments and seemed to combine those with a very well written and interesting script.

With Judd Apatow taking on both the writing and directing function it followed his previous efforts 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked up. He keeps the story fresh and he moves the plot along at a decent pace. The right use of mood lighting and zoom shots combine to make a very well crafted and funny movie. His direction style seems to keep films fresh and bring through a few new ideas to make his comedies slightly different to the rest of the comedy genre.

In fact I thought that it was really the plot, more than the direction, that really made this movie stand out, which showcased Apatow's abilities as both a writer and as a director. It's a movie that offers some clever comical moments and combines them with some rather simple comedy that can appeal to everyone, regardless of what type of comedy you are looking for. It's a movie that will appeal to adults, although it seems like an ideal moment to mention that there is a lot of adult humour that if you object to swearing in movies will not appeal to you.

The film stars a combination of new and old comedy talent and has one of my favourite comedy actors Adam Sandler in the lead role as George Simmons. He brings his normal comical charm to the lead role. After all these years of staring in films like this Sandler still seems to retain his unique comical timing that has served him well through all of his films. It would seem that this is a return to the days of his better movies such as Happy Gilmore and Big Daddy.

Of course in the other lead roles are Apatow regulars Seth Rogan and Jonah Hill. In particular Rogan is very convincing as Ira and works very well with Sandler. They seem to have developed an ability to really play off each other well. The remaining cast members all put in reasonable performances, although I was a little less than convinced with Eric Bana's rather over the top portrayal of an Australian, ironic considering he is actually Australian and shouldn't really have needed to try that hard.

Overall it was a very interesting movie that had us laughing throughout. It combined interesting and fresh comedy with a very well written script. Its a film that really highlights the deserved reputation that Apatow seems to be garnering. I thought that it was a lot better than I was expecting and would certainly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of either Adam Sandler or Judd Apatow. It combines the more thought provoking comedy with simpler moments that make this an ideal movie for everyone.

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More of a drama than a comedy

Having seen alot of Adam Sandler movies and also because this movie was made by the same lot that brought us 40 year old virgin and knocked up, both of which were very funny, I was eager to see Funny people when it came out on DVD.

The plot surrounds a number of characters. Ira is a struggling stand-up comedian who is living in Hollywood with two other friends who are also in the same business. Leo is doing the same job as a comedian and Mark is currently on sitcom on TV. Out of the three of them it is safe to say that Ira is the least talented. One night when he gets himself ready to go on stage for another stand-up set, there is a surprise appearance by George Simmons who is a superstar comedy movie star. This means Ira is bumped to the next position to go on. George is somewhat melancholy before him and his routine is depressing as he has learnt that he has terminal cancer. Ira uses the same approach and manages to get alot of laughs at George's expense. Seeing the performance George is somewhat impressed and hires Ira to be his writer and right hand man for a couple of weeks.

Now for me, I didn't think this movie was as funny as some Adam Sandler movies and also not as funny as it was billed to be. It is more a drama than a comedy which is a shame with the wealth of comic talent they employed. There are some funny moments don't get me wrong but it's not laugh a minute. Some of the jokes there were also were rather crude I thought which might not be to everyone's taste.

Funny people is definately not a movie for kids as there is just too much bad language and crudeness. The movie is quite long at 2 and 1/2 hours which I think for what it was is quite long.

If you just want a movie for laughs then it might be best to give this one a miss as it's not the best for that. It might be good enough to watch if you can get it relatively cheaply but otherwise might be worth giving this a miss as it's not Adam Sandler's best work.

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Fantastic film starring a great acting duo of Sandler and Rogen

Before watching this film, I heard a great lot of negative feedback towards this movie, not just from professional reviewers but from friends who went to the cinema to see it. Apparently it was too long, not funny and one of Adam Sandler's worst films ever, which I found quite difficult to believe since Adam Sandler is one of my favourite actors, and I only have 2 favourites. So I was very reluctant to watch this film because, 1 - I didn't want to see Adam Sandler not being entertaining, and 2 - I didn't want to waste 2.30 hours watching a film that wasn't funny, because I hate not finishing a film, even if it is long and rubbish.

To my relief, I actually really enjoyed this film and I somehow feel that it may go into my favourites list because it broke one of my biggest rules that decides a good film from its cover, it has to original (not a sequel or a remake) and it has to be under 2 hours long, now I know there are a great number of exceptions to these guide lines but to me they have rarely failed, and this film is one of the rare few.

Summary

As I've mentioned the film is quite long being around 2 hours and 30 minutes long and the story is split into 2 parts, as the story does change a significant amount in the middle. Basically George Simmons (Adam Sandler) is a very famous comedian actor, who makes a lot of money from his movies as well as doing occasional stand up performances, George gets some news that he has an untreatable illness and he has a very low chance of survival, which leaves him depressed. On the hand Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) is a struggling stand up comedian who doesn't get much support from his friends who are slightly more successful in the comedy business. George seeing that Ira has got some talent after seeing him follow his own bad performance offers Ira the job as an assistant/joke writer and they become good friends as George battles his illness and Ira slowly becomes a little more recognised as a comedian.

Following this story concept which seems quite serious as George is dying, it is actually quite funny as it shows how George works around it and him and Ira doing the stand ups are quite amusing.

Review

Seeing Seth Rogen is quite a few bad films in the last few months like Pineapple Express and Observe and Report, I wasn't expecting much of a performance, in fact I thought he was a minimal supporting character, instead of the supporting lead, but I was glad to see that both Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen were absolutely brilliant and worked together so well, now seeing it, I couldn't imagine any other 2 people better suited to work together to make such a serious concept into such an entertaining and funny film. The most exciting thing about this film had to be the large amount of appearances from other actors and celebrities as themselves like the scene in the bar, which featured not only Ray Romero (Everybody Loves Raymond), but also Marshal Mathers or better known as Eminem and both provoke a very funny scene.

The story was quite good, although it's not a unique concept, the way it is turned around into comedy was genius, but also preserves the serious moments quite well making this somewhat of a feel good film for me, as not only is it funny, but it does present quite a serious issue and how it was dealt with and what it concluded with.

Conclusion

So this film seems to be a either like it or you don't, I personally loved it and wanted more as the credits were going past, the acting combination of Seth Rogen and Adam Sandler was genius and most importantly I found it was funny and entertaining. The title is slightly of putting as it's not meant to be a straight forward comedy and that maybe the reason it has gotten such bad credit. I am glad that Adam Sandler's reputation is still intact in my mind after watching this film.

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i wouldn't bother renting it really unless you are really bored and a huge fan of Sandler or Rogan!

George Simmons (Sandler) is a popular stand up comedian who discovers he has a terminal illness with less than a year to live. One night at a comedy club, he takes notice of a stand comedian named Ira (Rogan) and decides to employee him as his assistant. As time passes, Ira becomes not only his assistant but also his friend.

The film is a lot more serious than Apatow's previous work. (40 year old virgin, knocked up) Although there are still quite a few funny jokes, you will have forgotten them by the time you have finished watching the film. The first hour of the film is quite entertaining, after a while though it seems to drag on for far too long! By the time the film has finished, you could not really care less about George and Ira and their beautiful friendship! Perhaps Mr Director needs to take a bit of time away and come up with a new comedy which sticks to his old routine.

Overall, I was a bit disappointed with this film. There are a few funny scenes, the film as a whole though is no comparison to Apatow's previous work. However, if you are a big fan of Rogan it might be worth as a watch as this is the first time he gives a 'proper' performance where he isn't just a token joke guy and he does a pretty good job.

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too long and I didn't think it was amazing really at al!

Funny people? Well I've never actually found Mr Sandler particularly funny except maybe in 'water boy' which I actually enjoyed very much so! Seth Rogen on the other hand has really grown on me! I was not a fan of knocked up to be honest and as far as it goes I'm not too keen on him as a whole. I did however; begin to like him in 'Pineapple Express' and 'Funny People' and from this he has began to make me favor him over many other new actors.

I like the way in this film (despite actually playing a comedian) Rogan is actually very funny and natural as well. He doesn't over act and if anything plays it down slightly to great effect. He is a sort of failed comedian at first and you can begin to connect with him as you see he is just normal guy trying to find a little love (and often failing) and just wanting to over all be a nice guy.

The film also stars Jonah Hill who first made it big in 'Super bad' - an amazing film which took, I think, most of England's youth by surprise - he is once again superb and shows his true range as he stars as a very different character to Seth.

Well any way as the adverts show George Simmons (Sandler) is a once movie star - very rich one too- now pretty much washed up. All he has are his millions of dollars, fans and an amazing reputation. O so Perfect right? Not quite. The film really looks into why he is so sad and I guess gives us a glimpses into the lives other older true 'Stars' around today. You soon find out he is a very upset and actually quite a nasty man.

The reasons for this are reflected in the film with the fact that; 1. He has no real friends 2.'The one that got away' the love of his life has left him.

With a truly unconventional ending for such an American film and very likeable characters this film is actually not too bad.

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Judd Apatow's comedy about a man who finds out he's going to die

Call me childish, but I have always enjoyed the rather infantile comedy that Adam Sandler has managed to fuel his films with. It's that refusal to grow up that appeals with his films. Add to the mix the more current talents of director Judd Apatow's band of immature actors, and the theory is that you have the forerunners of childish yet risque humour running in the same direction.

The result? Yes, I laughed, but it wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be. Sandler plays minted comedian and actor George Simmons, who hires aspiring comic Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) to write his material for him once he goes back his roots of stand up following the news he has leukemia.

And that's it in a nutshell. The film is excessively long, at 2 and a half hours. The first hour and a half is spent developing the working relationship between George and Ira, and while this produces some laugh out loud moments, the majority of it just seems unnecessarily drawn out. Once the side story of George's ex-fiancee Laura (Leslie Mann) and her husband Clarke (a brilliant Eric Bana) turn up, I'd had enough of the two male leads.

The change in plot does alleviate some of the annoyance I felt with the first hour and a half, and the comedy keeps coming thick and fast. There are a few standup routines from the characters, and the routines are very funny, on the whole. The comedy elsewhere in the film, though, is rather mediocre, and I have to say that I expected better from Apatow in this respect. The comedy is often crude and explicit, quite offensive at points, even, and so this isn't for the faint hearted. Lots of swearing is also used, from start to finish, so again, if this is something that offends you, this is probably not your sort of film.

Apatow's style of comedy is juvenile, as I have mentioned. Rogen and 'mini-me' Jonah Hill feature regularly along with Leslie Mann in the films Apatow has produced or directed, and it is good to see the collaboration staying strong. However, this one did push it far too much and it ended up being a good 45 minutes longer than was necessary. Plenty of waffling and dawdling with the buildup story is the main cause.

The cast all do a good job. Sandler seems most at ease, while Rogen seems to churn out the same performance time and time again with the films he is in. I think this is great if you haven't seen it before, but after a few times, there needs to be a bit more variety. The resultant effect is that the performance is very routine. Hill does well as Ira's flatmate Leo, as does Jason Schwartzman as other flatmate Mark. I felt these were underused in the scenes they featured, but good performances when they got the chance.

Leslie Mann is a very good actress, and seems to find herself in these housewife/mother roles quite regularly. She suffers a little from the stereotyping that Rogen experiences, but not on quite so high a scale. However, Eric Bana steals the show here. Despite arty farty roles in a few recent films, here he has a chance to be a stereotypical Aussie bloke that's really annoying. He does it absolutely marvellously. Hats off.

Overall, this was a very watchable film. There was nothing particularly special about it, and was far too long, but never did I feel like turning it off. It keeps you laughing at times, smiling or smirking at others, and is one I'd happily recommend watching, just beware the crass and rude comedy at times. Still quite new on the shelves, so expect prices of over £10 at the moment. Should reduce soon, though, once it has had its peak and starts dropping down the weekly charts. Recommended.

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a good film if not what you're probably expecting

Funny people is the 3rd comedy movie directed by Judd Apatow (Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, Anchorman, 40 year old virgin, Knocked up and many more as producer)And his most human to date; George Simmons (Adam Sandler) is a huge film star of awesomely terrible comedies (think of the career of Eddie Murphy), like Re-Do a film with his head on a babies body, and Merman which says it all, the films are a good joke at the stars losing their way and going for the paycheque instead of the laughs.

George discovers he is terminally ill and so re evaluates his life, realises he hates the man he's become and decides its time for change. He decides to go back to his roots as a stand up and hires young stand up named Ira (a slimmed down Seth Rogen; possibly for the green hornet movie) to be his assistant and help him write jokes, a thinly veiled ruse to get companionship for the lonely. From the premise you can tell it was never going to be a laugh riot, which it was oddly promoted as, it is funny but it's more of a drama or a dramedy it's probably called. The film is heartfelt drawn on by experiences Apatow him self experienced, about illness and questioning who we are (why on earth it was believed to be a out and out comedy I'll never know, well we do know, to sell tickets, but still shame on the executives!)

The performances are excellent with Sandler especially a stand out (Punch drunk love type performance) he embodies the often pitiful and disgusting character and gives him a layer of sadness which is quite brilliant. Rogen too is, as always fantastic.The script is hit and miss and the stand up segments some times excruciating (they were improvised) and the ending too drawn out for what really is a very simple arc, in fact the film could have been an hour shorter easily. But it only just out stays its welcome.

A good heart felt funny drama with some good performances from the actors and a few laughs (a lot fewer then you'll probably expect but still another good film to add to the Apatow canon.

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Utter rubbish

I'd read a few reviews about this film, and it sounded great, so I thought I would give it a go.

Funny People stars Adam Sandler as George Simmons, a comedy actor-turned-stand-up comedian who has just discovered he has a rare form of leukaemia and will most likely die from it soon.

Seth Rogen (yawn) stars as Ira Wright, a wannabe stand-up comedian. He lives with his two friends Mark (Jason Schwartzmann) and Leo Koenig, played by Jonah Hill (yawn).

One night, Ira is booked in to perform at a comedy club, and his hero, George Simmons has come to do a one-off show there. Ira has to follow his act, so he decides to make fun of George. George isn't actually bothered though, and in fact decides to hire Ira as his writer for the duration of his illness.

It sounds like quite an interesting, edgy, and inspiring film, but it isn't. The George Simmons character is a complete bar steward who uses women and doesn't care about other people, which just makes you want the leukaemia to hurry up and do it's job, and no, he doesn't really improve that much throughout the film.

Also, this film is written and directed by Judd Apatow, the sick, ignorant twit that brought us 'Superbad', which is one of the worst films ever made.

Like Superbad, because Judd isn't at all funny and therefore doesn't know how to write humour, he has instead filled this film with jokes about penises and fellatio. Every few minutes you get another penis joke. Here are a few quotes:

George Simmons: I'm surprised nothing happened with you and that girl. Ira Wright: She told me she had a boyfriend. George Simmons: She told me the same thing, when she was sucking my c**k.

Leo: I'm gonna put glasses on your ass so when i f**k you it looks like you're giving me a blowjob

That's as far as the film goes in terms of humour. But if you find that funny then you'll love it.

Oh yes, another thing, all of the women in the film are tarts. So the film is sexist as well. George's ex-girlfriend Laura (Leslie Mann) is a bimbo and yet we're supposed to believe that he's pining after her. She's thick and ignorant but has managed to land herself an enormous mansion and a hunky husband, and she has two men fighting over her. Great.

This is misogynistic, dirty, sleazy nonsense and the only good thing about the film is Adam Sandler who is a brilliant actor and can deliver the worst lines he's been given really well.

Some of the scenes are just so ridiculous you just feel like giving up there and then, for example when Ira bursts into tears and cries like a girl at George's cancer. So basically, Judd the Idiot is expecting us to laugh at someone crying about their friend having cancer. What a douchebag.

The film went on for far too long (146 minutes) and by the end of it I was relieved it had finished.

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Not as funny as it should be.

I really expected this film to be hilarious because it has some great actors in it, but mostly because it was written, co-produced and directed by Judd Apatow. Mr Apatow has delivered some cracking comedies in the past - such as Knocked Up, Superbad and Stepbrothers amongst others - most of which have made me cry laughing.

The plot surrounds rich and famous comedian George Simmons - played by Adam Sandler - who learns he has Leukemia and may die. He realises then, that he isn't happy with some of the decisions he has made in his life, so he sets about making some changes to his lonely, selfish exsitence.He decides to go back to doing stand-up comedy instead of crappy movies, and tries to make amends with his family. He also contacts ex-fiancee - Laura, played by Leslie Mann - whom he cheated on and is now married, with a hope to rekindling the relationship.Meanwhile, he hires Ira Weiner (Seth Rogan) - a not very succesful stand-up comedian - to be his assistant.

The main story is George trying to win back Laura - but at what cost?

There is a little suprise at the end of the movie. Just when you think it's so predictable - bad man turns good then dies - you realise that's not going to happen after all.

Overall I was quite disappointed with this movie.

Adam Sandler's character was very annoying, moany and just not likeable at all. I suppose that was done purposefully however I just couldn't get it. He wasn't even funny - not a convincing comedian.

Seth Rogan never disappoints though. I lkied his charater and always enjoy watching him act as it always seems so natural. He was the best thing about this film and definatley had the best lines.

Leslie Mann is another great comedy actor, who I thought was fabulous in Knocked up, and good in this.

It also stars Eric Bana as Laura's husband. He really suprised me and was pleasant and quite funny to watch - a lot funnier than Adam Sandler in my opinion.

Playing one of Ira's flatmates is Jonah Hill whom you may recognise from other Judd Apatow such as Knocked up and Superbad. He kinds looks like a younger, bigger Seth Rogan - and has some really funny lines. I would have liked to have seen him more in the movie as he only has a very small part.

There are some short 'blink and you may miss them' appearances by some big big names. Eminem, Raymond Romano (of Everybody Loves Raymond) and Sarah Silverman to name a few. These cameos are intended to show what a big star George is - mixing with fellow celebrities - however it doesn't make the film any better or funnier.

I would have to say, there is no way I would watch this again, but it's not too bad. There are three of four funny scenes which had me laughing - just not enough for my liking though.

An okay film.

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Give it a miss

When I read the cover of this movie I was filled with a sense of hope, yes at last a funny movie something to lighten the spirit and make us chuckle. The cast was almost guaranteed to have me at least smiling.

The movie was directed by Judd Apatow who has directed such greats as the 40 year old virgin and step brothers.But also the unbearable year one perhaps its all down hill from here then.

The movie is about sucsessful stand up comedian (Adam Sandler) who lives alone in a wonderful house with a pool and finds it fun to sleep with groupies.George is still in love with his ex girlfriend Laura (Leslie Mann) who he cheated on and they havnt spoken for years.When he discovers he has a blood disease that will probably kill him he decides he must change his life.

Ira Rogan is the struggling stand up comedian who works on a deli counter and sleeps on his friends pull out bed while trying to make some money out of comedy.

When the pair meet up George hires Ira to write some new material for him and then offers him a position as his personal assistant.

Sounds like it should be funny but it really isnt, I found the film almost unbearable to watch.What has happened to Adam Sandler he used to be funny?The movie is far too long and is 146 minutes of strained plot.Unbearable movie so not anything really just a nothingness.

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A comedian sees life differently after he comes to know that he has leukemia

I was apprehensive about watching this film after I heard bad things about Sandler's last film Bedtime stories. To me Adam Sandler is a genre by himself(Ok,don't get me wrong here but all I mean to say is that his films have hidden meanings beneath the layers of comedy)

Directed by Judd Apatow(Knocked Up,40 Year Old Virgin) it tells the story of comedian George Simmons who comes to know he is suffering from leukemia.Knowing he has limited time left, he starts seeing life in a new light. He goes back to do stand up comedy and sees new talent in Ira(Seth Rogen),whom he offers a job as his assistant. The film then progresses to show us how George decides to live his final days and how his friendship with Ira changes him personally.The last half gives ample space to George's interaction with his ex-girlfriend who is married and has two kids.

From the writing point of view,the basic plot is thin and the writers try hard to make lots of single scenes which don't contribute much to the story.The film is too long and the second half tend to drag on.The jokes are Adam sandler trademark and might not be suitable for kids.The film has its moments,mostly in the form of the scenes between Seth and Sandler.Its their friendship which makes the film work and certain scenes leave a strong impact on the viewer's mind. The inclusion of leukemia makes the film more meaningful as it makes the character wonder about the real achievements of life.

Adam Sandler is cool as a cucumber and plays the character with such ease.Seth Rogen takes complete control of Ira,a struggling comedian who is very different from most young people around.His friends are well played by the two actors.Leslie Mann is okay as his ex-girlfriend.Eric Bana was a surprise and it was great to see him having a bit of fun.

I'm actually confused about how good the film was.It has some amazing moments but the story loses its focus at times.Give it a go I say!

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Worth seeing

This is a good film and it is well worth seeing I found it to be an enjoyable film with a good plot and some genuinly funny moments in it which is for me all the more surprising because sadly that is not always something I have been able to say about Adam Sandler films in the past as the quality of work he does is rather variable and not consistent.

The film is based around the stand up comedy circuit with Sandler playing a character called George Simmons who is a successful film actor and comedian who despite his very obvious success and great wealth leads a rather isolated life with no real friends other than a group of psychophantic hangers on and other such parasites. He is lives a life of regret having lost the one true love of his life. Not only that but his life is due to come to a premature end due to lukemia.

However he meets Ira Wright, played by Seth Rogan who is a struggling comedian that George employs to write some material for him and the two form a friendship that develops over time as George tries to help Ira out.

This is a funny movie especially the live stand up performances that the pair deliver, Ira is an interesting character, crude and brash on stage he is totally inept when it comes to women that he likes.

This is not a straight out comedy instead it is a drama comedy as it has an interesting plot that is well developed, Sandler and Rogan work well on screen together and both do a good job of developing their characters and depicting the relationship between the two men.

This film id definately worth checking out as it is an entertaining film to watch. There is quite a bit of bad language in the film and sexual references.